5th Grade Syllabus
Dear Fifth Grade Families,
Welcome to 5th grade! We are excited to have the opportunity to be a part of your child’s education. The first day of school will be Monday, August 14, 2017. We feel privileged to meet you as we begin this year in 5th grade. We are confident that our enthusiasm, creativity and dedication to learning will make this year the best possible for every student. By working as a team to reach common goals, students and teachers will support, encourage, and depend upon one another in a respectful and engaging learning environment. It is our greatest desire to create a family of learners where each student demonstrates good citizenship, both inside and outside the walls of the classroom. We are committed to holding high expectations for each of our students and we will work diligently with them to reach success. We view parents and families as another integral aspect to attaining this goal, so we look forward to getting to know all of you throughout the year.
In this welcome packet, you will find a parent survey, photo release, as well as a policy and procedures agreement. The information is for our records and will be used to help us get the school year started. In addition, there is a list of supplies needed for each Fifth grader. Please bring the survey form and the supplies on the first day of school.
Teacher Contact Information-
Mr. Hess-
There is a 24-hour return policy for emails excluding weekends. If emails are sent Friday after 2:30 we will do our best to get back to you by Monday.
5th Grade Website
Parent communication is very important to us. There is a 5th grade website that includes an individual webpage for each 5th grade teacher. You can find weekly homework, classroom announcements, upcoming events, and field trips on the 5th grade website.
To get to the website go to:
Homework Policy
Purpose: Homework assignments are given to develop independent study habits, reinforce classroom instruction, and to provide practice in time management. From time to time all students are given long-range assignments. These are used to develop a sense of responsibility and to promote interest in doing research.
Students will be assigned weekly reading (30 minutes a day), IXL for Math and Grammar, and Achieve3000 for Reading practice. Homework will be online and log in information will be given to students the first week of school
.
Behavior Policy
A major goal is to provide a classroom climate that is conducive to learning. Students and parents rightfully expect the classroom to be a safe, pleasant, and positive place for children. The 5th grade team has adopted a Code of Behavior to help both students and parents understand the expectations for student behavior. The students should learn and practice behaviors that are appropriate to creating and maintaining a positive learning climate. They should also become responsible for their own behavior and understand how their behavior affects the safety and learning opportunities for others.
5th Grade 3 Strike Policy:
Warning
Strike 1- Reflection/ Note Home
Strike 2- Campus Beautification
Strike3- After School Detention
Grading Policy
Ivy Academia has a uniform grading policy. Grades are weighted as follows:
- Tests and Quizzes35%
- Classwork and Participation30%
- Projects35%
The grade distribution is as follows:
A 100 – 93%
A- 92 – 90%
B+ 87-90%
B 86-83%
B- 82 – 80%
C+ 79-77%
C 76 – 73%
C- 72-70%
D+ 69 –67%
D 66-63%
D- 62-60%
F Below 59%
Field Trips
Griffith Observatory
A two-and-a-half hour program with exhibit, building, and theater experiences. The program uses the Observatory’s telescope, exhibit, and building content as well as programs in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium and Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. Museum Guides and Observatory Lecturers will guide students in standards-based learning experiences using their unique facilities. Each component of the program is designed to complement the others and to support the fifth-grade education standards.
Reagan Library Discovery Center
An academic field trip for grades 5th and above, where students are immersed in a historical crisis during President Reagan's term in office. Students role-play a member of the oval office, a military official or a member of the press corps in a realistic setting that will engage and excite them from the very beginning.
The Port of Los Angeles Boat Tour
Have your students ever wondered where their computers, iPods or Adidas running shoes come from? They are on sale at local stores only after they have arrived here via the international goods movement system. The Port of Los Angeles would like to invite your fifth grade class to join us for a free educational boat tour to demonstrate the dynamics of world trade.
Riley’s Farm
Though the years just prior to the American Revolution were certainly full of turmoil, the people of the colonies worked hard and found time for a some fun, too! This tour explores the domestic side of 18th century America and puts students in the shoes of their colonist counterparts in a fun, interactive way.
Course Descriptions
Math
Students will master the four arithmetic operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and positive integers. They will apply their knowledge to statistics and probability and be able to analyze data and sampling processes for bias or misleading conclusions. Students will conceptually understand and work with ratios and proportions and be able to compute percentages. Students will use letters for numbers in formulas involving geometric shapes and in ratios to represent unknown parts of an expression. In addition, students will be able to solve one-step linear equations beginning to explore the basics of pre-algebra. Students will improve their mathematical content knowledge through application of 21st century skills of critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, financial literacy, and global awareness.
Science
In the fifth grade curriculum, students will engage, explore, explain, extend and evaluate concepts about physical science, life science, earth and space science and information related to technology, environment and society. The health curriculum will provide the opportunity for students to obtain, interpret and understand basic health information and services; and the competence to use such information and services in ways, which enhance their own health.
Language Arts
The fifth grade Language Arts class is designed to facilitate student growth in the areas of reading, writing, spelling, and grammatical skills. Through the utilization of an integrated approach, this course will exposes children to a variety of literary genres including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Skills such as oral language, word identification, writing, vocabulary, and comprehension will be taught through these various types of literature. The Language Arts curriculum also focuses on applying writing, spelling, and grammatical skills in developing the writing process. This course also applies the use of technology to enhance student approaches to researching and publishing.
Social Studies
Students in grade five study the development of the nation up to 1850, with an emphasis on the people who were already here, when and from where others arrived, and why they came. Students learn about the colonial government founded on Judeo- Christian principles, the ideals of the Enlightenment, and the English traditions of self- government. They recognize that ours is a nation that has a constitution that derives its power from the people that has gone through a revolution that once sanctioned slavery, that experienced conflict over land with the original inhabitants, and that experienced a westward movement that took its people across the continent. Studying the cause, course, and consequences of the early explorations through the War for Independence and western expansion is central to students’ fundamental understanding of how the principles of the American republic form the basis of a pluralistic society in which individual rights are secured.
All core subjects will continually incorporate entrepreneurial standards into the curriculum.
Supply List
5th Grade Supplies
Pencils
3 x 5 Index card box
1-2 packages College Ruled Paper (NOT IN A SPIRAL)
Red Pens
Black Fine Tip Marker
Pack of Oil Pastels
8 college ruled spirals (different colors-one per subject)..one set per semester
Covered Sharpener
4 packages 3 x 5 Lined Index Cards
Colored pencils
Markers
4 different colored Highlighters
Post-it Notes
Erasers
Whiteboard Markers (pack of 5)
Whiteboard eraser
Flash Drive
Core Reading List - Please purchase all four books and keep them at home until teachers request
Number the Stars- Louis Lowry
Tuck Everlasting- Natalie Babbit
The Witch of Blackbird Pond- Elizabeth George Speare
The Phantom Tollbooth- Norton Jester
Parent Survey
(Please print legibly)
Child’s Name:
______
Parent’s Names:
______
______
Home Address:
______
______
Home Phone Number:
______
Mother’s Cell:
______
Father’s Cell:
______
Email (Mother):
______
Email (Father):
______
What are your child’s strengths?
______
______
What are your child’s difficulties?
______
______
In what areas would you like to see your child improve this year?
______
______
Are there any medications or allergies you would like us to be aware of?
______
______
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Class Syllabus Agreement
I have read and agree to abide by the aforementioned classroom policies and procedures.
Student Name:______
Student Signature:______
Parent Name:______
Parent Signature:______
Date:______
Photo Consent Form
(Please return to your Homeroom Teacher on the first day of school)
This year, we will document our learning experiences and activities by taking pictures. While these pictures will be used primarily for use in our classroom only (for example: class assignments, bulletin boards, portfolios etc.), these pictures may also be used in the school yearbook.
Please complete one of the following statements, and sign and date below.
I ______, give permission for my child
______to be photographed for educational purposes.
Signature______
Date______
I ______, do not give permission for my child
______to be photographed for educational purposes.
Signature______
Date______